Stunning Egyptian Faience Amulet - Striding Sekhmet

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A stunning, mold-formed amulet depicting Sekhmet, the lioness-headed goddess of war, the sun, and healing. She presents in an elegant striding pose atop an integral rectangular plinth, wears an ankle-length gown, and holds a black-glazed staff representative of papyrus in front of her body. Her characteristic feline head features petite eyes flanking a thick snout, a prominent chin, tall forehead, and a pair of perky ears, all beneath a black tripartite wig and a cylindrical suspension loop. Gorgeous turquoise-hued glaze envelops the entire amulet in wondrous color and imbues the piece with a sumptuous presentation evocative of ancient Egypt. Size: 0.8" W x 2.8" H (2 cm x 7.1 cm); 4.2" H (10.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Sekhmet (also Sakhmet), among the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, is typically depicted as a lion-headed woman and sometimes wearing a sun disc on her head. When shown sitting, she usually holds an ankh of life; when standing, she wields a sceptre formed from papyrus as we see in this example, the symbol of Lower Egypt, the area with which she is most often associated. Her name comes from the Egyptian word "Sekhem" which translates to "power" or "might" - indeed Sekhmet is sometimes translated as "Powerful One" or "She who is Powerful." Sekhmet is also mentioned in several spells of The Book of the Dead, discussed as both a creative and a destructive force, but above all, the guardian of Ma'at (balance or justice) who defies evil.

For a strikingly similar example with both arms lowered, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 89.2.355.

Provenance: private Connecticut, USA collection; ex-private Pennsylvania, USA collection; ex-private European collection, acquired in the early 1970s

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#149795
Condition Report: Minor abrasions to plinth, body, and head, with light fading to original glaze pigmentation, and minor pitting, otherwise intact and excellent. Wonderful traces of original glaze pigment throughout.